text:
Could Valerie Plame Sue Karl Rove? |
By ANTHONY J. firstname.lastname@example.com ---- Monday, Jul. 18, 2005 |
In 1998, President Bill Clinton was almost forced from office because he lied about whether he had had "sexual relations" with Monica Lewinsky in a deposition. The deposition was not conducted by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, but by the lawyers for Paula Jones -- who had sued the President under federal civil rights law and Arkansas tort law.
One of the greatest features of the American civil justice system--especially its tort law--is that it gives average citizens the power to force anyone, even Presidents, to answer them in court. Could Valerie Plame, the CIA agent whose identity was leaked to the press, take matters into her own hands and use the civil justice system to get Karl Rove - who may, it seems, have been the leaker -- to answer her in court?
In offering possible answers to this question, I need to also offer a caveat: Media reports on this case may be incomplete and are, in some cases, based on second-hand information and leaks. The facts may turn out to be very different once more is known.
However, as I will discuss in my next column, the holes in the public record may themselves motivate Plame to sue: A civil suit can be an excellent way to force information into the open.
This column explores whether Plame can start that process.
A Difficulty: Rove Could Try to Assert Immunity as a Federal Officer
A hypothetical case by Plame against Rove would have a number of difficulties, some of which may be fatal to her claim.
The first and most important problem that Plame would have, is that Rove could claim that he is immune from suit because he was a federal employee working for the President when he allegedly injured Plame.
One classic case which deals with the immunity of a federal officer from civil suit - and that comes close to the Rove/Plame situation -- is the Supreme Court's 1959 decision in Barr v. Matteo.
There, William G. Barr, Acting Director of Rent Stabilization for the United States, suspended two high-level employees whom he accused of misconduct, and he announced this in a press release. The two employees, John J. Madigan and Linda Matteo, sued Barr in the District of Columbia for defamation, alleging that not only had Barr defamed them, but he did so with malice.
The Supreme Court held that Barr was immune. It reasoned that a federal officer "should be free to exercise their duties unembarrassed by the fear of damage suits in respect of acts done in the course of those duties."
Otherwise, the Court feared the onslaught of "suits which would consume time and energies which would otherwise be devoted to governmental service and the threat of which might appreciably inhibit the fearless, vigorous, and effective administration of policies of government."
In Barr's case, the Court held that the issuance of a press release was within the "outer perimeters" of his official duties, and thus within the scope of his immunity, since as acting director of an executive office, his job required that information be issued to the public through the media. The Court also held that the allegations that there was a malicious motive behind the press release, and that it was false, did not compromise the immunity Barr enjoyed.
Does the Barr ruling mean that Rove cannot be sued? I am not so sure.
The Supreme Court has not granted total personal immunity to federal officers exercising their official capacities. And in 1978, in Butz et. al. v. Economou et. al., the Court distinguished Barr from cases where an official is alleged to have violated someone's constitutional rights.
The question presented in Butz was whether the Secretary of Agriculture and lawyers in the Department of Agriculture had deprived some businessmen of their property without due process. The businessmen claimed that after they publicly criticized the Department, the Department - in retaliation -- initiated a series of groundless administrative investigations against them.
The Butz Court noted that state officials enjoyed only qualified immunity for knowing violations of their citizens' constitutional rights, and that it would be incongruous to grant federal officials greater immunity.
The Court emphasized, however, that the immunity for federal officers would be lifted only when two conditions were met. First, the federal officer had to "know" he or she was violating someone's rights. Second, the right in question had to be based on a law (such as the Constitution) that directly controlled the federal officer's powers.
Applying Immunity Doctrines to A Hypothetical Claim by Plame Against Rove
If we apply the holdings of both Barr and Butz to the hypothetical Rove/Plame case, what can we conclude?
Recall, from Barr, that the justification for any sort of immunity for federal officers is that they should be able to pursue the public good without the distractions of litigation. Does this justification apply in Rove's case?
Rove was not running an agency when the leak occurred, in 2003. He did not even have the title he has now, of Deputy Chief of Staff. Still, in the 1981 case of Harlow v. Fitzgerald, the Court held that qualified immunity was available to Presidential advisers.
In that case, Harlow, who was "counselor" to President Nixon, was accused of conspiring to violate the constitutional and statutory rights of A. Ernest Fitzgerald by getting him fired. The Court held that advising the president about who should be fired was unquestionably within an advisor's official capacity.
However, Harlow also endorsed the "functional" approach to immunity law, prescribing that immunity extend "no further than its justification would warrant." Does the justification for advisor's immunity cover Rove - who was not providing advice to the President when (and if) he apparently spoke to the press about Plame?
(Also, does Plame's claim have to hang on a knowing violation by Rove of her constitutional rights in order for her to have a claim? An intriguing line from Harlow suggests otherwise. There, the Court stated that a presidential aide could be sued personally for civil damages insofar as his or her conduct violated "clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.")
One point seems very clear: If Plame wants to sue Rove personally (rather than in his official capacity), it seems that she will have to craft her claim so that she alleges a constitutional (rather than a common law) tort.
Could Plame Allege the Kind of Constitutional Tort Immunity Does Not Cover?
Typically, a constitutional tort would involve a deprivation of property, life or liberty without due process of law -- or it could involve an interference with another protected right, such as freedom of speech.
Based on the few publicly available details about Plame's life since her identity as an undercover CIA agent was revealed, it is not clear whether she could identify an injury which would fit easily into one of these categories.
Rove is alleged by some to have violated certain federal laws - as FindLaw columnist John Dean discussed in a column this month. Could Plame argue that Rove's immunity does not extend to injuries caused by his knowing violation of federal laws prohibiting the unmasking of covert agents?
The advantage of this approach is that Plame would not necessarily have to limit her suit to a claim based on a constitutional injury. Instead, she could argue, for example, that the violation of the federal laws protecting her identity as a covert agent gives her an implied private right of action to sue for damages resulting from Rove's violation of a federal law designed to protect her. (An "implied private right of action" is a civil claim that is inferred from - but not expressly created by - a given statute.)
Plame's best chance would be to argue that Rove's actions were not taken within even the "outer perimeters" of his official duties, but beyond those perimeters. Could she prove that? It is difficult to say, given the limited facts publicly available, and the murkiness of this area of law.
Given that Rove's job seems to be nothing other than to promote the political power of the President, one could easily imagine him arguing that defending the President--even by attacking others--is part of his "official job."
Plame's Second-Best Option: Suing Under The Federal Tort Claims Act
Let's suppose that on both of the issues I've discussed above, Rove prevails: He convinces a court that his actions were taken within his official capacity, and Plame cannot either characterize her injury as a constitutional tort or base it on an implied right of action. If so, then Plame's next best option would be to sue the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA).
Under the FTCA, the United States government waives its sovereign immunity and consents to be sued for the torts of its employees. Because the federal government is large and solvent, many plaintiffs would rather sue under the FTCA, than try to sue the individual government employee who injured them.
In the Rove case, in contrast, Plame might prefer to sue Rove personally -- for reasons I will explain in my next column. Yet even a suit against the government might suit Plame's purposes, since she would still be able to pursue discovery and force Rove to sit for depositions.
The FTCA has its own limitations, of course. It permits torts based in negligence, but not most intentional torts. For example, if Rove had accidentally driven his government-owned limousine into Plame's car while on official business, she could have sued the government under the FTCA. But if Rove had maliciously driven the car into her car, she could not sue under the FTCA for battery - which is an intentional tort. In addition, the FTCA does not waive the government's immunity with regard to suits for defamation.
The Key Questions: What Injuries - and What Kind of Torts - Can Plame Allege?
So once again, the question of whether Plame could sue comes down to what injuries she has suffered, and how she would frame her tort claims - even though, in this context, her claims would be based on the common law, not on the Constitution.
Interestingly, the claims that Plame would most likely be able to allege--public disclosure of private facts and intentional infliction of emotional distress--are allowed under the FTCA.
However, even if Plame were permitted to sue the government for Rove's actions under the FTCA, that would not be the end of the story. The underlying common law tort claims that Plame would bring would still have to be good enough to survive a motion to dismiss, if her goal of starting discovery were to be achieved. (A motion to dismiss asks the court to dismiss an action based on legal - not factual - claims; hence, judges often stay discovery while they are considering a motion to dismiss.)
In my next column, I will examine the common law tort claims Plame could bring if she did indeed initiate a FTCA suit.
I will also discuss, in more general terms, whether a suit by Plame--were she to bring one--should be compared to Paula Jones's suit against Bill Clinton, and if so, whether that should make Democrats nervous.


text: If anyone lives near Santa Barbara, CA or is planning a trip there, I cannot stress how badly you need to visit Cielo Spa Boutique. I took a few days off of work (much needed) and whisked my Mom to Santa Barbara (a fantastic getaway for those of us in Los Angeles who need a mini-adventure) and decided we needed facials. I have had about a million facials in my lifetime and my mom, in her sixties, is a facial virgin, and I decided it was time she experienced one. After scouring Yelp, I came across Cielo Spa Boutique, right on State Street, in the heart of Santa Barbara and I thought we'd give it a go. So thrilled I did! First of all, it's a very small spa (probably just two treatment rooms) and the atmosphere is so warm and inviting (it actually feels like a converted home). We both indulged in the 60 minute facial - so relaxing - and both of us came out glowing and feeling fabulous. My mom (the scaredy-cat) decided to forego any steaming and extractions, but really enjoyed the mask and the wonderful hand massage. I was lucky enough to have the owner, Roxanne, doing my facial and it's no wonder she comes so highly recommended on Yelp! She is a master when it comes to skincare (my face looks fantastic) and her neck, head and hand massages almost put me to sleep. She uses all Babor products (I am new to the brand but was impressed at how non-greasy they are) and she ended with the most fabulous lip balm I have ever tried (so fantastic, in fact, I purchased it and will review the line in another post - it really deserves its time in the sun!). The facial is worth every penny of the $90 (if you check-in on Yelp you save an additional $10.00) and I will definitely go back the next time I'm in Santa Barbara. Word on the street is the Cielo Spa Boutique is especially amazing with waxing (but that doesn't sound like my idea of a relaxing getaway...)

subset: commoncrawl


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I want to talk about being an atheist in the queer community.
This is going to be hard to talk about. But it's been on my mind a lot lately, and I think it's important to say.
I see a lot of parallels between the atheist community and the queer community. I think that the two movements have a great deal in common — the importance of coming out of the closet, an ongoing family argument between the more diplomatic and the more confrontational activist philosophies, being a scapegoat of the religious right, etc.. In a lot of ways, I think the atheist movement today is very much where the queer movement was in the early '70s — newly visible, newly vocal, pissed off as hell, still finding its voice, just beginning to gain real strength. I think the two communities could learn an enormous amount from each other, and I think that they're natural allies.
And yet, I'm having a realization that I'm finding extremely unsettling.
I've been an out queer, and an active participant in the queer community, for over 20 years now. I've felt for years like the LGBT community was my home base. I've only identified as an atheist for less than two years.
And yet I'm finding that I feel more at home — more welcomed, more valued, more truly understood — as a queer in the atheist community than I do as an atheist in the queer community.
Like, a lot more.
In the last year or two, after a stretch of being more focused on other issues and movements (sex radicalism, mostly, plus of course the atheism), I've been getting more involved again with the LGBT movement. I've been reading LGBT blogs; I've been participating in an email list of LGBT political people; I've been donating money to LGBT causes; I went to the recent LGBT bloggers' conference.
And here are some of the things I've experienced.
I've been exhorted to pray. I've been told about "our Creator." I've seen comments in LGBT blogs, listing bigoted and wildly inaccurate anti-atheist canards that could have come straight out of the religious right's playbook. I've heard inaccurate statistics bandied about regarding how many believers and non-believers there are in the U.S…. statistics that diminish atheists' numbers and our strength. (For the record: We're more than five percent, people.) I've heard the inaccurate and insulting canard about "fundamentalist" atheists… and, when I've pointed out that this term is both inaccurate and insulting, had the language firmly defended.
I've heard the LGBT movement described as divided into two distinct groups: the reasonable ones who want to work with religious groups, and the unreasonable ones who think that religion is a delusion. (As if it were impossible to think that religion is a mistaken hypothesis about the world, and at the same time still think we need to work with religious groups.) I've heard the atheist movement described as divided into two distinct groups: the good ones, the "live and let live" ones who don't criticize religion, and the bad ones, the intolerant "fundamentalist" ones who think they're right and say so. (Where have we heard that kind of language before?) I've heard LGBT leaders talk about how important it is to reach out to people of different religious faiths… with no mention whatsoever made of reaching out to people with no religious faith. Not even in lip service.
And I've been in the unsettling position of being the person that LGBT people come to to tell about their godlessness.
Have you ever been the out LGBT person that other LGBT people came to, privately or semi-privately, to tell you that they're L, G, B, or T? That's how I'm beginning to feel as an atheist in the queer community.
I'm not going to pretend to speak for these folks. I don't know exactly how they feel about their lack of religious belief, or why they're choosing to stay quiet about it for the moment. It could be any number of reasons: from not wanting to be alienated from the community, to not having the time or energy or inclination to do Godlessness 101 education, to not wanting to raise potentially divisive issues at a time when we've already had a lot of infighting, to just not thinking that it's that big a deal, to other reasons that probably haven't occurred to me. I don't pretend to speak for them, and I'm certainly not going to be anything but supportive of them. Like LGBT people, non-believers need to come out of the closet on their own timetable, and for their own reasons.
But I think we all know that, when you make yourself visible as an LGBT person in a non- specifically- LGBT group, and a whole bunch of people come up to you privately to tell you that they're LGBT… you know that there's a problem. You know that something's going on in that group that's making LGBT people feel like they can't be completely out.
It seems like that's happening for atheists and other non-believers in the LGBT community.
And the whole thing is making me really sad.
It's ticking me off, too. But mostly, it's making me sad. It's reminding me of my earlier days in the community, when we were fighting for the B to be included in LGBT, and people who I thought were my family were telling me that I didn't belong. It's making me feel like I have to fight for my place at the table. It's making me feel like I have to choose between being welcomed, and speaking my mind about things that are deeply important to me. It's making me feel like my home is not my home anymore.
Being a queer in the atheist community, on the other hand…
Being a queer in the atheist community is almost a complete non-issue.
I write a lot about the parallels between the LGBT movement and the atheist movement… and atheists, of all sexual orientations, are always interested. When I talk about sexual orientation and queer politics and history — or just about my own personal experiences in my own queer relationship — atheists want to hear what I have to say about it. And when I don't — when I just want to talk about creationism or Pascal's Wager or the problem of evil or the meaning of life — then they want to hear what I have to say about that, too. Not as an LGBT representative, either; not as What The LGBT Community Has to Say About Pascal's Wager. Just as Greta.
And the atheist community has been fierce and outspoken in defense of LGBT rights. To give just one example: The atheist blogosphere needed no prodding to blog about Prop 8. They were all over the issue like a cheap suit. Almost every atheist blog I read had something to say about it; many of them blogged about it multiple times. And they were all over the issue from very early on. Hell, I know straight atheist bloggers who were blogging about Prop 8 before I was.
This isn't just true for Prop 8 or same-sex marriage, either. The atheist blogosphere talks about homophobia a fair amount. They see it, among other things, as one of the main examples of how traditional organized religion is stubbornly adhering to unsupported dogma at the expense of real human lives. And that makes it a big issue for them. Apart from just, you know, being appalled by it because it hurts their friends and loved ones. Apart from it just being the right thing to do.
I'm not saying that I've never encountered homophobia or homo-stupidity in the atheist community. I have. But I've found it to be very rare, very much the exception. And maybe more to the point: When it does show up, it gets smacked down like a bug, by a dozen different hands or more. I don't always have to be the one to do the smacking. I don't even usually have to be the one to do the smacking. When a homophobic or homo-stupid commenter shows up, the atheist blogosphere — straight and queer — promptly tears them about sixteen new assholes. I have never before been in a community where I felt so strongly that straight people had my back.
On the whole, the atheist community has been just about the most LGBT- positive community I've been in that wasn't, specifically, an LGBT community itself. I've had to do almost no Queer 101 education in it. I've been able to just relax and be myself.
Now. I do understand that this comparison isn't entirely fair. For one thing, the modern queer movement has been active and loud, visible and vocal, for a good 40 years now. The rest of the world has had time to, as the chant goes, get used to it.
The atheist community? Not so much. The atheist movement has been around for a while; but it's only been active and loud, visible and vocal, making itself an un-ignorable presence in the world at large, for maybe the last five years or so. Straight people — including atheists — have had a long time to get educated about LGBT issues. Religious believers — including LGBT folks — haven't had as long to get familiar with atheism. So it's not terribly surprising that there should be troubling attitudes about atheists and atheism in the LGBT community. Disappointing, but not surprising.
And it's not like this situation is universally terrible. It's not. There are queer believers who are saying and doing lovely and supportive things for their non-believing compatriots. There are other queer non-believers who are talking openly about their godlessness — I'm hardly the only one. And it's not like anyone's throwing rocks at me or anything. It's not terrible.
It's just bad enough to make me feel like I'm not quite at home anymore.
I am both an atheist and a queer. I feel like I'm one of the bridges between the two communities, and that makes me happy: I think the two movements are natural allies, and I think there should be bridges between them. (If only for reasons of pure pragmatism, I damn well think the LGBT community should be working like crazy on that alliance. IMO, the atheist movement is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years and decades: it's come very far in a very short time, and it's growing by leaps and bounds every year.)
But lately, I'm feeling like this bridge is a lot more strongly supported on one side than it is on the other. I'm feeling like the people on one side of the bridge are heartily cheering me on and welcoming me with open arms, and the people on the other side of the bridge are a whole lot more conflicted about me, with a fair number of them heartily wishing that I'd just shut up.
And I'm finding — sadly, but not entirely surprisingly — that I'm feeling more strongly identified with my new friends who are cheering me on.
I'm feeling more like an atheist than I am like a queer.
And if this trend in the LGBT community keeps moving in this same direction, then that's just going to get stronger.
So how do I want this to change?
That's tomorrow's post.


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When people ask me, "What's your favorite thing to knit?" the immediate answer that pops into my mind has never been, "Socks, of course!"
I've never been a 'sock person' (heck, I don't even wear socks very often!)
I've knit many socks, I've designed a sock (okay, a pair of socks…) but although they're not my go-to project of choice, I definitely appreciate sock knitters.
I've long felt that most of the staying power that the popularity of knitting has experienced over the past decade is due to the army of sock knitters who keep so much excitement bubbling in the knitting world.
In my quest to more fully appreciate the mystery of the sock, I've read several great sock books (Cat Bordhi, Ann Budd, Andi Smith and Charlotte Schurch have all written amazing sock books)
I would put Lara Neel's* new book, Sock Architecture, up there with them.
What I particularly like about Lara's book are the instructions and images. She uses clear graphics and photographs to work, step by step, through the techniques.
For a non-sock knitter like myself, these type of illustrations are very helpful. I can visualize a technique much better when I can see a few images, I really appreciate the amount of work that went into creating these images.
The book begins with an explanation of certain sock verbiage, why different heels and toes are named as they are, and the main differences between Eastern and Western socks. Foot shapes, sizes, and tailoring a sock for a specific foot are discussed in depth, as are tips and tricks for creating a really good-looking, well fitting sock.
The remainder of the book is divided into Top-Down and Toe-Up sock construction, with myriad heels and toes discussed under each topic. Patterns are provided for each of the variations discussed, and helpful charts allow the knitter to determine whether one of the standard sizes listed would work for their sock, or how they can do the math to create a custom fit.
One of the nice things about the book is – for lack of a better description – a 'cut-and-paste' layout which allows the knitter to either use the designs as written, or create their own design combining elements from various patterns.
As someone with rather long toes and a low arch, I find this SO helpful. Breaking down the patterns in this way also allowed me to understand more fully the actual construction of a sock.
I can't see myself becoming a great sock knitter, but with Sock Architecture I will feel a bit less adrift when I tackle my next sock pattern.
*in full disclosure, Lara's a friend of mine and photographed my upcoming Bolero book for Stackpole Press.Giveaway
Cooperative Press, the publisher of Sock Architecture, is allowing me to give away a copy of the book (as an eBook) to a lucky blog reader!
Simply leave a comment below, tell me the most challenging technique (in a sock, or in any other type of knitting) you've attempted and you'll be entered to win the eBook.
I'll be selecting one winner on Monday, Dec 8th, by the end of business day. Good luck!


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SEC Charges Alcoa With FCPA Violations
Washington D.C., Jan. 9, 2014 —
The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged global aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) when its subsidiaries repeatedly paid bribes to government officials in Bahrain to maintain a key source of business.
An SEC investigation found that more than $110 million in corrupt payments were made to Bahraini officials with influence over contract negotiations between Alcoa and a major government-operated aluminum plant. Alcoa's subsidiaries used a London-based consultant with connections to Bahrain's royal family as an intermediary to negotiate with government officials and funnel the illicit payments to retain Alcoa's business as a supplier to the plant. Alcoa lacked sufficient internal controls to prevent and detect the bribes, which were improperly recorded in Alcoa's books and records as legitimate commissions or sales to a distributor.
Alcoa agreed to settle the SEC's charges and a parallel criminal case announced today by the U.S. Department of Justice by paying a total of $384 million.
"As the beneficiary of a long-running bribery scheme perpetrated by a closely controlled subsidiary, Alcoa is liable and must be held responsible," said George Canellos, co-director of the SEC Enforcement Division. "It is critical that companies assess their supply chains and determine that their business relationships have legitimate purposes."
Kara N. Brockmeyer, chief of the SEC Enforcement Division's FCPA Unit added, "The extractive industries have historically been exposed to a high risk of corruption, and those risks are as real today as when the FCPA was first enacted."
According to the SEC's order instituting settled administrative proceedings, Alcoa is a global provider of not only primary or fabricated aluminum, but also smelter grade alumina – the raw material that is supplied to plants called smelters that produce aluminum. Alcoa refines alumina from bauxite that it extracts in its global mining operations. From 1989 to 2009, one of the largest customers of Alcoa's global bauxite and alumina refining business was Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), which is considered one of the largest aluminum smelters in the world. Alba is controlled by Bahrain's government, and Alcoa's mining operations in Australia were the source of the alumina that Alcoa supplied to Alba.
According to the SEC's order, Alcoa's Australian subsidiary retained a consultant to assist in negotiations for long-term alumina supply agreements with Alba and Bahraini government officials. A manager at the subsidiary described the consultant as "well versed in the normal ways of Middle East business" and one who "will keep the various stakeholders in the Alba smelter happy…" Despite the red flags inherent in this arrangement, Alcoa's subsidiary inserted the intermediary into the Alba sales supply chain, and the consultant generated the funds needed to pay bribes to Bahraini officials. Money used for the bribes came from the commissions that Alcoa's subsidiary paid to the consultant as well as price markups the consultant made between the purchase price of the product from Alcoa and the sale price to Alba.
The SEC's order finds that Alcoa did not conduct due diligence or otherwise seek to determine whether there was a legitimate business purpose for the use of a middleman. Recipients of the corrupt payments included senior Bahraini government officials, members of Alba's board of directors, and Alba senior management. For example, after Alcoa's subsidiary retained the consultant to lobby a Bahraini government official, the consultant's shell companies made two payments totaling $7 million in August 2003 for the benefit of the official. Two weeks later, Alcoa and Alba signed an agreement in principle to have Alcoa participate in Alba's plant expansion. In October 2004, the consultant's shell company paid $1 million to an account for the benefit of that same government official, and Alba went on to reach another supply agreement in principle with Alcoa. Around the time that agreement was executed, the consultant's companies made three payments totaling $41 million to benefit another Bahraini government official as well.
The SEC's cease-and-desist order finds that Alcoa violated Sections 30A, 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Alcoa will pay $175 million in disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, of which $14 million will be satisfied by the company's payment of forfeiture in the parallel criminal matter. Alcoa also will pay a criminal fine of $209 million.
The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Australian Federal Police, Ontario Securities Commission, Guernsey Financial Services Commission, Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority, Norwegian ØKOKRIM, United Kingdom Financial Control Authority, and Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland.


text:
Sometimes ago I used KDE 3.5 I think, and really liked the transparency option for windows, which gave all my text editor a really killer look and feel, really nice/ethereal environment for coding.
I haven't managed to find such a possibility with GNOME.
Any idea if it is possible and how?


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The following obituaries were received for Wednesday –
Marion M. Robinson – Bedford
Marion M. Robinson, 84, of Bedford, passed away at 2:25 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16, 2013, at her residence.
Born July 9, 1928 in Oshawa, Canada, she was the daughter of Samuel and Wilhelmina (Cossar) Howie.
She married Howard Robinson on April 17, 1948; he died September 27, 2001. She was a homemaker who excelled at sewing, cooking and working in her flowers; she attended First Church of the Nazarene, Bedford; was an avid stamp and doll collector; she loved Gospel music and was very proud of her Scottish heritage.
Surviving are four sons, Robert Robinson and wife Linda, Springville; Bill Robinson and wife Susie, Bedford; Michael Robinson, Bloomington; and David L. Robinson, New Carlisle, OH; two daughters, Elaine and husband Mel Rile, Bedford; and Lisa Williams, Dayton, OH; eleven grandchildren, Mindy Mosier, Nate Robinson, Laura and husband Jake Robinson Easter, Garrett Neumann, Tiffany and husband Chris Neumann-Watercutter, Traeden Rhys Robinson, Sabrina, Amelia and Logan Robinson, Anthony Rile and Jessica Williams; three great grandchildren, Brett Mosier, Whitney Mosier and Ayden Easter; and one sister, Nancy Leonard, Hagersville, (Ontario) Canada;
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Howard; one daughter, Joanne Culham; two brothers, Joe and Howard Howie; one sister, Elizabeth Fleming; and one granddaughter, Brier Neumann.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 18, 2013, at Ferguson-Lee Funeral Home, Bedford, with Rev. Ken Bushey officiating. Burial will be in Beech Grove Cemetery, Bedford. Friends may call on Wednesday, 4 pm to 8 pm and on Thursday from 10 am until the service.
Memorial Contributions may be considered to Alzheimers Association; the Susan G. Komen for the Cure (Breast Cancer); or to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.fergusonlee.com.


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We provide betting intermediary services only and the Platform gives you access on an aggregated basis to sportsbooks operated by certain third party betting operators ("Bookmakers"). Each and every betting transaction ("Bet") is between you and the Bookmakers only and the Ole Group is not, and will not, under any circumstances be a party to those Bets. The Ole Group does not act as, or hold itself out as, a bookmaker or betting operator.
While we shall use reasonable efforts to ensure that the bets placed with the Bookmakers through the Platform shall be accurate, you agree that we shall not be responsible for the checking and verification of each and every betting transaction ("Bet") into which you enter with those Bookmakers, including their status and accuracy, and for all aspects of Bet selection. You agree (i) that we have no responsibility or liability in any of these respects and (ii) that we shall provide you with no advice, recommendation or other guidance relating to betting, betting accounts or otherwise.
You understand that, by using the Platform, you authorize the Ole Group to deal with the Bookmakers on your behalf, including collecting monies and depositing monies with the Bookmakers on your behalf. You agree that it is your responsibility to establish the identity, suitability and creditworthiness of each and every Bookmaker who offers Bets on or through the Platform. The Ole Group shall not be responsible for ascertaining the identity, suitability and creditworthiness of the Bookmakers. You further agree that the Ole Group shall be entitled to utilize any information relating to You (whether personal or otherwise) or your Bet and provide such information to the Bookmakers upon request by such Bookmaker.
You acknowledge that we collect and deposit money with the Bookmakers on your behalf, using your selected payment method. All transactions should be requested through your VOdds wallet. You are solely responsible for the accuracy of the amounts collected or paid on your behalf and we shall not be liable for the accuracy of any payments. You should also update your KYC documents for proof of address valid in the last (3) months to have smooth transactions.
These collections and payments may only be made through the VOdds wallet in your account when you log in. You shall be responsible for paying the transaction costs charged by these agents and you agree that we shall be entitled to deduct any such transaction costs from any amounts collected for or paid by you.
You agree that the Ole Group is not responsible for making payment of any amount to you (even where such amounts are reflected as due to you on the Platform) unless we have collected payment of such amount from the Bookmakers. We will make payment (whether to you or to the Bookmaker, as the case may be) of all amounts collected on your behalf or to be paid by you to the Bookmaker within 7 days of us receiving such money from you or the Bookmaker.
You agree that no Bet placed by you via the Platform shall be confirmed (including the Bet amount and win rates) unless and until such confirmation is provided by the Bookmaker. You accept that the Bookmaker may cancel or treat any Bet as void at any time even if it is reflected as "Confirmed" on the Platform. The Ole Group shall not be responsible in any way for any Bets that are cancelled or treated as void by the Bookmakers.
The contents of this website contain confidential information ("Confidential Information") belonging to us. In consideration of our granting you access to the said confidential information, you agree and accept the terms herein.
You warrant that all your personal data and information ("Your Personal Details") provided to us in the website registration form completed by you and submitted to us are true and accurate.
You acknowledge that we have granted you access to this website in reliance of the Your Personal Details provided to us and that we have agreed to grant access to this website to you only. You shall not allow any other person to view any information published on this website and shall take proper care and reasonable measures to protect the confidentiality of all information on this website.
The Platform is the property of the Ole Group, including (without limitation) all rights in data, database rights, intellectual property rights and related content with the exception of all information relating to Offers. You have no rights in, or to, the Platform.
You agree not to use any Confidential Information contained in this website for any purpose other than for you to understand the business of the Ole Group with intent to establish or develop a business relationship with us. You further agree not to disclose any Confidential Information to any other person. For the avoidance of doubt, the Confidential Information may not be copied, printed or transmitted by electronic mail or any other mediums of communication to any other persons.
"Confidential Information" means any information relating to the business of Ole Group including without limitation documents, technical data, trade secrets, know-how, research, product plans, services, customers, markets, software, inventions, processes, designs, drawings, commercial, financial and technical information, business strategies, and such other information which is not in the public domain and material which by its very nature should obviously be treated as secret and confidential.
You represent and undertake that:
a) Your use of the Platform will not breach any law, regulation, code of conduct, code of practice or any obligation to any third party;
b) If you are an individual, you represent and confirm that you are at least 18 years of age, you are of sound mind and fully capable of entering into binding legal agreements.
You agree not to share or disclose the User ID or password issued to you by the Ole Group with any other person and shall not allow any other person to access this website without our express written consent. You shall take proper care and reasonable measures to protect the confidentiality of the User ID and password issued to you by Ole Group.
We are not responsible for unauthorized access to your data or the unauthorized use of the Platform. You agree to notify us immediately if you become aware of any unauthorised use of the Platform.
You undertake to use the Platform for legitimate betting purposes only and strictly in accordance with these Terms. You may not use the Platform if use would be illegal in the jurisdiction in which you are located.
In addition, you may not use it:
a) in any way that breaches any applicable local, national or international law or regulation.
b) in any way that is unlawful or fraudulent, or has any unlawful or fraudulent purpose or effect.
c) for the purpose of harming or attempting to harm anyone, including minors, or in any manner which will, or is likely to, infringe the personal rights of others;
d) in any manner that will, or is likely to, infringe the copyright, trademark, trade secret or other intellectual property rights of others;
e) to transmit, or procure the sending of, any unsolicited or unauthorised advertising or promotional material or any other form of similar solicitation (spam);
f) in connection with any defamatory, indecent, obscene, offensive, threatening or abusive conduct or activity;
g) to knowingly transmit any data, send or upload any material that contains viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time-bombs, bots, keystroke loggers, spyware, adware or any other harmful programs or similar computer code designed to adversely affect the operation of any computer software or hardware;
h) to cause damage, detriment or disruption to our business, including the Platform, and/or the business or activities of our clients, or which may generate or create any liability for us or our clients;
i) to manipulate a market in a way that is linked to a sports event that is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result (i.e. use relating to match-fixing);
j) to bet against any sports team in which, either directly or indirectly, you have an interest, e.g. as employee, director, chairman or shareholder;
k) to employ any methods or techniques for extracting data from the Platform without our consent (e.g. data scraping or data mining);
l) to carry out any deceptive practices or ways of working;
m) to restrict or inhibit anyone in their use or enjoyment of the Platform;
n) to cause or attempt to cause security breaches or disruptions of Internet communications (e.g. accessing data of which you are not an intended recipient, or logging into a server or account that you are not expressly authorized to access);
o) to execute any form of network monitoring that will intercept data not intended for you.
p) to circumvent user authentication or security of any host, network or account;
q) to interfere with or deny service to any user (e.g., denial of service attack);
r) to use any programme/script/command, or send messages of any kind, designed to interfere with, or to disable a user's terminal session;
s) to furnish false or incorrect data of any kind;
t) to send junk mail or other advertising material to individuals who did not specifically request such material;
u) to export or re-export data or content in violation of export or import laws or without all required approvals, licenses and exemptions; or
v) in any way that is inconsistent with our Terms of Use.
You are fully responsible and liable for all Bets and for all related profits, losses and other liabilities, including (without limitation) choice of Bets, accuracy, amounts staked and setting and/or compliance with applicable betting limits. You understand and accept that you may lose money on Bets and that you bear full responsibility for all and any losses. The Ole Group will under no circumstances be liable for such losses.
You are responsible for understanding the content and operation of the Platform, including understanding the software provided by us in relation to this Platform.
You agree that you will:
a) provide us with all co-operation and assistance required in relation to the provision of the Platform and the investigation of any interruptions, faults, outages or security issues;
b) provide us with all data and other information reasonably required in relation to these Terms of Use, including security access information and software interfaces to any relevant business applications, and ensure that all information provided is true, accurate, complete and not misleading in any material respect; and
c) carry out your obligations in a timely and efficient manner and notify us immediately of any breaches or suspected breaches.
We will not be liable for any delay, loss or damage arising from such failure or from reliance on information or materials provided by you or the Bookmakers.
Please note that unless otherwise agreed by us in writing, you may not use any information found on this website for any purpose or in any manner other than to understand the business of the Ole Group with the intent of establishing or developing any business relationship with us. You are not authorised to print any information contained on this website, unless our written consent has been given.
The information available via the Platform relating to the indicative price and volume offered by the Bookmakers ('Offer(s)') is provided on an "as is" basis. The Ole Group gives no warranties in respect of the accuracy of that information.
You acknowledge that the information available on the Platform may be amended by third parties (such as the bookmakers) at any time and accept that the Ole Group shall have no liability for inaccuracies in offers. You accept that all offers are invitations only, so that we are not able to guarantee the availability or currency of the offer when you come to execute the Bet.
We reserve the right to limit, suspend or terminate access to the Platform without liability:
a) if we consider it reasonably necessary to protect your or our interests, or the interests of any third party (including our clients) and/or to protect the security or operation of the Platform or the Ole Group's systems or network or those of our clients;
b) if you breach any of these Terms of Use or if we reasonably believe you have so breached or are about to breach;
c) if you fail to cooperate with us regarding any suspected or actual breach of these Terms; or
d) if required to do so by law or further to a request from any regulatory or governmental authority.
We may suspend all or any part of the Platform for the purpose of repair, maintenance or improvement. We shall provide you with reasonable advance notice of suspensions wherever possible and use reasonable endeavours to keep any such suspensions to a minimum. If we suspend owing to defect or compromise on your part, the suspension will not be lifted until the default is rectified to our reasonable satisfaction.
Hyperlinks to content from this website from another website, electronic mail, document, or any other manner is prohibited.
By accessing this website from links from other third party websites, electronic mail or document, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use.
We reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions from time to time without prior notice to you. Any changes to the Terms of Use shall be published on this website and will be effective immediately upon such publication. You hereby agree that your continued use of this website following such publication will represent an agreement by you to be bound by the terms and conditions of the modified terms of use as published. We reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions from time to time without prior notice to you. Any changes to the Terms of Use shall be published on this website and will be effective immediately upon such publication. You hereby agree that your continued use of this website following such publication will represent an agreement by you to be bound by the terms and conditions of the modified terms of use as published.
We are providing this website on an 'as is' basis and make no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to this website or its contents and disclaims all such representations and warranties. In addition, we make no representations or warranties about the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the information and related graphics published in this website nor do we undertake to keep this website updated. The information contained in this website may contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. You agree and accept that we will have no liability for any bugs, defects or other errors in the Platform. All liability of the Ole Group howsoever arising for any such inaccuracies or errors is expressly excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Neither the Ole Group nor any of its directors, employees or other representatives will be liable for loss or damage arising out of or in connection with the use of this website. This is a comprehensive limitation of liability that applies to all damages of any kind, including (without limitation) compensatory, direct, indirect or consequential damages, loss of data, income or profit, loss of or damage to property and claims of third parties.
To the extent permitted by law, any condition or warranty which would otherwise be implied into these terms and conditions is hereby excluded. Where legislation implies any condition or warranty, and that legislation prohibits us from excluding or modifying the application of, or our liability under, any such condition or warranty, that condition or warranty will be deemed included but our liability will be limited for a breach of that condition or warranty to one or more of the following: (a) if the breach relates to goods, (i) the replacement of the goods or the supply of equivalent goods, (ii) the repair of such goods, (iii) the payment of the cost of replacing the goods or of acquiring equivalent goods or (iv) the payment of the cost of having the goods required; and (b) if the breach relates to services, (i) the supplying of the services again or (ii) the payment of the cost of having the services supplied again.
Without prejudice to the above, in the event the Ole Group's liability cannot be excluded for any reason whatsoever, you agree that the total aggregate liability of the Ole Group in contract, tort (including negligence or breach of statutory duty), misrepresentation, restitution or otherwise, to you (including all authorised users of the Platform) shall be limited to: (i) £15,000 (fifteen thousand pounds sterling), or (ii) 0.5% of your average Bet per sporting event in the 6 months immediately prior to the event or incident giving rise to the claim; whichever is the lower.
The disclaimer set out in the Terms of Use herein does not attempt or purport to exclude liability arising under statute if, and to the extent, such liability cannot be lawfully excluded.
You agree to indemnify and hold us, our employees, agents, contractors, and affiliated companies, harmless from any claim or demand (including reasonable legal fees) made by any third party due to or arising out of any content you submit, post, transmit or make available through this website, your use of or in connection to this website, any breach of the Terms of Use by you, or your violation of any rights of another.
You agree to be bound by an obligation at all times to ensure that your access to this website is not illegal or prohibited by any laws applicable to you.
You must take your own precautions to ensure that the process which you employ for accessing this website does not expose you to the risk of viruses, malicious computer code or other forms of interference which may damage your own computer system. For the removal of doubt, we do not accept responsibility for and are under no obligation to prevent any interference or damage to your own computer system which arises in connection with your use of this website or any linked website.
Responsibility for the content of advertisements appearing on the Website (including hyperlinks to advertisers' own websites) rests solely with the advertisers. The placement of such advertisements does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement by us of the advertisers' products and each advertiser is solely responsible for any representations made in connection with its advertisement.
Copyright in this website (including all text, graphics, logos, icons, sound recordings, cinematographic productions/presentations and software) is owned or licensed by us. You may not in any form or by any means:
(a) adapt, reproduce, store, distribute, print, display, perform, publish or create derivative works from any part of this web site; or
(b) commercialise any information, products or services obtained from any part of this web site;
without our written permission.
Except where otherwise specified, any word or device to which is attached the ™ or ® symbol is a registered trademark.
Except with our written consent, you may not in any form or by any means use any of our trademarks:
(a) in or as the whole or part of your own trademarks;
(b) in connection with activities, products or services which are not ours;
(c) in a manner which may be confusing, misleading or deceptive;
(d) in a manner that disparages us or our information, products or services (including this website).
This website may contain links to other websites ("linked websites"). Such links are provided for convenience only and we make no warranty nor are we under any obligation to ensure that such links are current or maintained.
We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices associated with linked websites.
Our links with linked websites should not be construed as an endorsement, approval or recommendation by us of the owners or operators of those linked web sites, or of any information, graphics, materials, products or services referred to or contained on those linked websites, unless and to the extent stipulated to the contrary.
We recognize the need and/or desire of all users of this website for privacy and security in visiting this website. Notwithstanding the aforesaid, you agree that we are at liberty to collect certain information relating to you and/or your visit to the Web Site in any instance of your use of our website. While we do not collect identifying information about visitors to our website, we may use standard software to collect information for the strict purpose of tracking activity on this website. This allows us to better understand how many people use this website and which pages and features are of most interest to visitors. We do not identify you personally but only collect information relating to the following:
(a) The technical details relating to your Internet service provider (eg: IP address).
(b) The web site that referred you to us (if any).
(c) The date and time the pages were accessed.
(d) The page or pages you requested.
There may be instances where you may elect to provide us with personal information. For example, in the event that you take part in any polls conducted by us, fill out one of our feedback forms or send us email, in which cases you may also be providing us personal information, including information that appears to you in the form or the message. This will typically include information like your name, mailing address, email address, the kind of request you are making, and any other information necessary to fulfil your request. Do note that this is always at your option; and the information is not transmitted to us until you specifically elect to send it to us. Such information shall only be used internally by us for the purpose of fulfilling the request or for contacting you directly. For the avoidance of doubt, such information is not given or sold to any other organisation. We may, however, use such information to provide you updates and information about our events and new services; you may, of course, opt out of receiving future emails from us by sending an email to us by using the contact form on our website.
Should you wish not to have your personal information used in the manner set out above or for any other specific purpose, you can email us accordingly.
In the event of a request for us not to use personal information in a particular manner or at all, we will adopt all reasonable measures to observe such request, however, we may still use or disclose that information if:
(a) we subsequently notify you of the intended use or disclosure and you do not object to that use or disclosure within fourteen (14) days of receipt of such notification;
(b) we believe that the use or disclosure is reasonably necessary to assist a law enforcement agency or an agency responsible for government or public security in the performance of their functions; or
(c) we are required by law to disclose the information.
We will preserve the content of any email you send us if we believe we have a legal obligation to do so.
Personal information which we collect may be aggregated for analysis but in such circumstances we would ensure that individuals would remain anonymous.
You are entitled to have access to any personal information relating to you which you have previously supplied to us over the Web Site. You may edit or delete such information unless we are required by law to retain it.
We reserve the right to change our privacy policy at any time without prior notice. Any amendments to our privacy policy shall be published on this website and shall be deemed to have been accepted by you upon such publication.
There is strictly no refund for any unwagered deposits. All deposited funds must be wagered (rolled-over) 1x prior to withdrawal. Players who choose to withdraw prior to completing the required rollover will incur payout processing fees regardless of the payout method. Please contact client relations for more information on the fees.
By transmitting information to us through our contact details published on this website, you accept that no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed as being totally secure. Whilst we strive to protect such information, we do not warrant and cannot ensure the security of any information which you transmit to us. Any information sought to be transmitted to us is transmitted at your own risk. Nevertheless, once we receive your transmission, we will take reasonable steps to preserve the security of such information.
We may, under any circumstances and without prior notice, immediately terminate access to this website by you or such other users at any time at our sole discretion. Our disclaimer will nevertheless survive any such termination.
The use of this website and any questions or dispute arising from or concerning the use of this website shall be construed in accordance with English laws. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this contract, including any question regarding its existence, validity or termination, shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration in England in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of the London Court of International Arbitration ("LCIA Rules") for the time being in force, which rules are deemed to be incorporated by reference in this clause. The Tribunal shall consist of one arbitrator. The language of the arbitration shall be in English.


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Mary Koppal is the communications director for Project 2061 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is responsible for the project's publishing and outreach programs.
Previously, Koppal was the publisher for the National Academy of Sciences' Issues in Science and Technology, where she began her work as the associate publisher/circulation manager. From 1987 to 1994, she was responsible for the overall business and administrative operation of this award-winning national science and technology policy journal.
Koppal was the marketing director from 1981 to 1985 for the National Academy Press. The Press published 40 to 60 new titles each year, and had a backlist of 700 trade, scholarly, and professional titles in all areas of science, technology, health, and public policy.
In earlier positions, Koppal was a staff writer in the Communications/ Marketing Department of the Congressional Information Service, Inc., and a marketing specialist for the Printing and Publishing Office of the National Academy of Sciences.
She received a B.A. in English from the University of Maryland and pursued graduate studies in Communication in Contemporary Society at Johns Hopkins University.


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Faith that Swims
I would recommend you either believe God up to the hilt, or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of God, every letter of it, or else reject it. There is no logical standing place between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the deeps of divine revelation; a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is poor faith at best. It is little better than a dry-land faith, and is not good for much. - C. H. Spurgeon


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Body Mapping Micro Fleece Jacket
122.09 GBPRRP (excl VAT)
Warm, light and flexible. This zip micro fleece jacket in high-functionality fabric and advanced body-mapped design is ideal as a warm first layer or a lighter second layer. Count on insulation where it matters and ventilation where it's needed.
- Fit:
Black - 0400
- Keeps your body dry and fresh all day long with its innovative natural anti-odour treated and quick-drying fabric
- Advanced body-mapped design for superior balance of insulation and ventilation
- Micro fleece fabric with checked structure on the inside for enhanced breathability and mesh fabric in armpits for extra ventilation
- Zipped arm pocket for added convenience
- High collar for extra warmth and protection


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Q: What was the first seed that grew into the Morning Tides collection?
A: The ocean, ocean life and the natural world. I wanted to create a line of fabrics with an organic color scheme and motifs, while at the same time still maintaining my design style that kind of highlights a more modern aesthetic.
If your collection had a soundtrack what would be on the list?
Oh, definitely a little bit of Tito Puente, a little Zero 7 and I'd sprinkle in some M. Ward to fill out the soundtrack.
Q: What single print/SKU in the collection is your favorite (can only pick one!)?
MC 11 Royal. Definitely my favorite SKU in the collection. The colors and the motifs really put the entire collection into perspective
What is your favorite project you have made using this collection?
A: My wife Cara is making a "HUGS" quilt for quilt Market, we haven't had sample yardage of the fabric very long so we are just now starting the process of making some really great projects. More to come.
What is your favorite part of working in the fabric industry?
Being able to see the end result to my creative process is one thing, just the idea that my ideas and sketches will be manufactured and shipped off for others to see and use. Also, the people I have met, such an eclectic group of people that are involved in the industry.
Can you give us a sneak-peak of your next fabric collection?
Yes, it's called Cosmic Burst and will be released in the 4th quarter of this year, 24 SKU's. I love this collection and I hope you all will as well.
What is your absolute favorite thing in your house?
I would say this painting in our living room, I really love it, it's called October Smoke Jumpers and was painted in 2009.
Which project stands out in your memory as your all-time favorite?
My wife and I are starting to dive into the embroidery creation thing, and this embroidery I designed and she created is incredible. Look out for our embroidery collections at Quilt Market in October.
Where do you do your best thinking? Can we see a photo of your studio?
Well I wouldn't call this a "studio" so much as just a "corner of my living room". We live in New York City and don't have a ton of space. But my work area is clean and nice and works for me.
What is your favorite snack food? Can we see a photo of your fridge or pantry?
Anything that falls into the category of a "snack" is tied for my top favorite.
What is your one guilty pleasure in life?
HBO Sunday night programming, definitely.


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- Home
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- Police Department
- Community Programs
Community Programs
The Goodlettsville Police Department works in a collaborative effort with our community in order to provide the safest environment for all the people who live and work in Goodlettsville. The Police Department has formed partnerships with our Businesses, Apartment and Hotel/Motel Management Groups, Neighborhood Watch Groups, Ministerial Groups and several other networks to understand the needs of the community and do our very best to succeed in protecting our citizens and preventing crime in our City.
Neighborhood Watch Program
Neighborhood Watch or Crime Watch is one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent crime, and reduce fear. Anyone can join the Neighborhood Watch Program. We encourage as many people to participate in organizing a Crime Watch Program.
When you become a member of a Neighborhood Watch Program, you will learn how to make your home more secure, watch out for suspicious people, and report these activities to the police department. Neighborhood Watch members become the eyes and ears of the police department. The police department cannot be in all places at one time, and we depend on our citizens to work with us reporting crime in neighborhoods.
You may request a special watch for your residence any time you are out of town or if you are having problems with unauthorized people on your property. The information you submit will be given to each Patrol Shift and your residence will be checked several times each 12-hour shift until your return. Fill out your House Watch Request Form online.
National Night Out Against Crime
On the first Tuesday of the month in October, residents of neighborhoods throughout Goodlettsville are asked to lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the evening on the grounds of City Hall with the Goodlettsville Police Department! The event occurs yearly starting at 5 p.m. and the Goodlettsville Police Department provides food and live entertainment. Also, our local businesses here in Goodlettsville donate door prizes for the event.
We want our Goodlettsville Community to be well represented for this national event.
National Night Out is designed to: (1) Heighten crime prevention awareness; (2) Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime efforts; (3) Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police community partnerships; and (4) Send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
The National Night Out Against Crime is a great way to get to know your community and even your neighbors and goes hand in hand with our Neighborhood Watch Program.
Community Relations Programs
The Police Department provides community relations programs to our citizens. In addition to the Citizens Police Academy and Neighborhood Watch Programs, the Department offers educational programs on such topics as crime prevention, teen distracted driving, and personal safety. We offer these classes to church groups, civic groups, businesses, and organizations. Officers are available to teach these classes to the community upon availability. If you have a specific topic of interest that you would like to make an inquiry about, the Administrative Commander coordinates and schedules all classes.
Citizens Police Academy
The purpose of the Citizens Police Academy is to give citizens a better understanding about law enforcement and how police officers work within the community. The classes in law enforcement provide a fun and interactive way to educate and develop positive relations with our citizens. It is an ongoing process to build community cooperation, understanding, and good will; the Citizens Police Academy definitely adds to the educational process!
Once citizens graduate from the Citizens Police Academy, they can become a member of the Citizens Police Academy Volunteer Program. Volunteers will serve as ambassadors of the police department by donating their time to work on community projects with the police department. Volunteers will continue to give an insider's view into law enforcement sharing the same values and guiding principles of the police department.
Please see our page on Citizens Police Academy for more information on class schedule and registration form!


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Show All Answers
The introduced ordinance allows restaurants and other food uses that are greater than 125ft to enter the Township as a permitted use. They would be required to apply and receive any necessary permits for build out. The one caveat to this permitted use status is that the Township's parking requirements still apply in B-2 and B-3.
While parking requirements are being waived in the B-4, they will remain for the B-2 and B-3 zones. This means that if a restaurant wishes to occupy a vacant space in the B-2 or B-3 zones, but is increasing the parking requirement of that space (i.e. dry cleaner to restaurant), they would still need to seek planning board approval for a parking variance.
It remains. Restaurants and food uses within 125ft of a single family residential lot line remain a conditional use. If a prospective tenant can satisfy all the outlined supplementary conditions and parking requirements, they will go before the planning board for site plan approval. If they are unable to meet one or more of the supplementary conditions, they will need to seek a use variance before the Township's Board of Adjustment (Zoning board).
Yes. Applications to both the planning board and the zoning board require that properties within 200ft. of the property line be notified that an application is being considered.
The Chatham Road commercial district was exempt under the current code with language that stated, "This Section 606.61d shall apply only to lots abutting on primary and secondary roadways as shown in the Traffic Circulation Plan Element of the Master Plan." Unlike the B-3 on Upper Millburn Avenue and the B-2 and B-3 zones on Morris Turnpike, elimination of that language would have had restaurants be a permitted use on Chatham Road. The omission would have created an unintended consequence as none of the commercial buildings are within 125ft. of a single family dwelling property line.
There are several reasons for this change. It is important that the Township balance a need to remain competitive with surrounding communities and their zoning policies while maintaining a reasonable level of protection to our residents that may live in close proximity to a commercial district. All of our commercial districts have seen high ground floor vacancy rates in the double digits, even prior to COVID-19. Sinking commercial property values as a result of these vacancies can have a deleterious impact on the Township's overall valuation, which can shift the tax burden to residential property owners.
A vibrant business community will add value to the Township. It will also help ensure that our commercial districts remain intact and do not become soft sites. Millburn has a reputation of being less business friendly than our neighbors. This was recently confirmed by a review of our zoning codes throughout the Downtown Area Vision Plan process. It was suggested, as a first step in revitalizing all of Millburn, that restaurants be a permitted use and that other uses continue to expand as we slowly emerge from the public health crisis.
We are not pursuing these changes without consideration of our residents. It is important that certain protections remain, that certain conditions be met that mitigate any impact a new business may have on the residential community and that we have both our residential and commercial owners in mind when proposing such changes.
A brew pub, referred to in the A.B.C. law as a Restricted Brewery License, is a manufacturing license that permits the license holder to brew malt alcoholic beverages in quantities not to exceed 3,000 barrels per license term. This license can only be issued to a person or entity that identically owns a Plenary Retail Consumption License which is operated in conjunction with a restaurant regularly and is principally used for the purpose of providing meals to its customers and having kitchen and dining facilities. The restricted brewery licensed premises must be immediately adjoining the retail consumption licensed premises. The holder of this license shall only be entitled to sell or deliver its product to that restaurant premises. The purpose of this type of license is to allow the holder of the license to manufacture product and to sell it at its retail licensed premises. No more than two Restricted Brewery Licenses shall be issued to a person or entity which holds identical interests in two plenary retail consumption licenses, used in conjunction with restaurants, as previously discussed. Since this is a manufacturing license, it will also need certain approval from the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and may also require additional approval from the municipality in which it is located.
The definition of "fast food" in the Township's zoning code is as follows;
RESTAURANT, FAST FOOD — An establishment whose principal business is the sale of pre-prepared or rapidly prepared food directly to the customer in a ready to consume state for consumption either within the restaurant building or off the premises.
Fast food in Millburn can be anything from a pizza place to a bubble tea location. Our ordinances, like most of our surrounding communities, do not prohibit fast food but explicitly prohibit drive thru windows. This prohibition, coupled with the size and location of many of our commercial lots, do not fit well into fast food chain models.
The parking requirements for the B-4 (Downtown) will be removed unless on-site parking already exists. Eliminating this barrier will allow more permitted uses to avoid going to the planning board for parking variances.
The ordinance also provides for additional uses in the B-4 district, such as theaters and museums. It also allows co-working/shared work spaces in the B-2 and above ground floor in the B-4.
Please click this link to be directed to a Zoning Map of the Township: https://twp.millburn.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/6229/Zoning-Map-PDF?bidId=.


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When there is a perceived violation or injustice committed, it's human nature to be defensive and fire back, and that's exactly what appears to have happened with the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD).
In a memo dated Dec. 22, OCPD Chief Bernadette DiPino reported to the Mayor and Council that an internal probe conducted by her investigators has found no proof K-9 Charlie had a surgery performed this month. The memo read, "After an extensive search of veterinary surgical facilities in the surrounding Maryland, Delaware and Virginia area, we were unable to confirm surgery had been performed on Charlie."
From off-the-record conservations with former Officer Earl Campbell and what we have learned independently, such as the existence of pictures confirming Charlie's procedure, we believe the surgery was completed, but absent an invoice it's impossible to know for certain. However, above all, we do not believe Campbell would throw away a year-round salary and top-notch benefits for his family for nothing. It just doesn't make sense.
We think the surgery did take place and wish Campbell would come forward with an invoice or some sort of concrete proof, but he's clearly spooked because of the alleged threats being made against his family. He is adamant about moving forward and wants to put this chapter behind him.
That's a shame but understandable.
In light of Campbell being unwilling to provide the needed proof, the OCPD's internal investigation seems to be the last word, and that's unfortunate.
A cursory investigation of our own finds the OCPD's probe has at least a few holes and consequently we deem it without merit.
This investigation was launched, even though Campbell rejected the reimbursement offer from the city the day after it was extended. Clearly, the probe had alternative goals.
It was obvious the city would not cut a check to Campbell without an invoice of the surgery to include with documentation. No probe needed on that matter. Additionally, most vets require signed permission from the owner to discuss pet specifics and certainly Campbell would not do that. Therefore, no confirmation of surgery would be given to investigators.
Furthermore, at least three veterinarians, who conduct surgeries on K-9s, in the tri-state region cited by the OCPD were never contacted by investigators.
Some have suggested the probe was narrowed to those facilities routinely conducting these types of specific surgeries. Either way, that's not what we would call "an extensive search".
This situation has blown up into a mess, but we do not believe this should be the end of it, but at this point it's up to Campbell to decide if there's another chapter in this saga.


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God and Goddess, Myths and Folklore discussion forum. Whomever they are to you, this is the place to discuss it. Questions, theories, classes, debates, and more.
For fairytales, superstitions, myths and legends.
This is the storage forum for all previous God or Goddess of the Week threads.
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One of the most popular songs in 1961, when this photo was taken, was Stand By Me.
It wasn't a Christmas song, but the title certainly suits ol' Santa.
According to Erin E., who shared this wonderful photo of her great-grandparents, that's Claude and Lennie Russell on the left, and Martha and Amel Knight. Claude and Lennie Russell were from West Baden, Indiana. And Martha and Amel Knight lived in West Baden at the time. This was a big trip as Claude drove his brand new 1961 Ford to Santa Claus.
That iconic Santa statue is still here, in the Christmas section of Holiday World. Can you imagine how many photos have been taken with Santa over the years?


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Daily Readings for Tuesday, July 9, 2024
- Morning Psalms 12; 146
- First Reading Numbers 35:1-3, 9-15, 30-34
- Second Reading Romans 8:31-39
- Gospel Reading Matthew 23:13-26
- Evening Psalms 36; 7
Morning Psalm 12
1 Help, O LORD, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies to each other;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, "With our tongues we will prevail;
our lips are our own — who is our master?"
5 "Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
I will now rise up," says the LORD;
"I will place them in the safety for which they long."
6 The promises of the LORD are promises that are pure,
silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O LORD, will protect us;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among humankind.
Morning Psalm 146
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the LORD!
First Reading Numbers 35:1-3, 9-15, 30-34
1In the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance that they possess, towns for the Levites to live in; you shall also give to the Levites pasture lands surrounding the towns. 3The towns shall be theirs to live in, and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle, for their livestock, and for all their animals.
9The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 10Speak to the Israelites, and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, so that a slayer who kills a person without intent may flee there. 12The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, so that the slayer may not die until there is a trial before the congregation.
13The cities that you designate shall be six cities of refuge for you: 14you shall designate three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. 15These six cities shall serve as refuge for the Israelites, for the resident or transient alien among them, so that anyone who kills a person without intent may flee there.
30If anyone kills another, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses; but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of a single witness. 31Moreover you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer who is subject to the death penalty; a murderer must be put to death. 32Nor shall you accept ransom for one who has fled to a city of refuge, enabling the fugitive to return to live in the land before the death of the high priest. 33You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and no expiation can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I also dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the Israelites.
Second Reading Romans 8:31-39
31What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Gospel Reading Matthew 23:13-26
13"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. 15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
16"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.' 17You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? 18And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.' 19How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; 22and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.
23"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!
25"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.
Evening Psalm 36
1 Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in their hearts;
there is no fear of God
before their eyes.
2 For they flatter themselves in their own eyes
that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;
they have ceased to act wisely and do good.
4 They plot mischief while on their beds;
they are set on a way that is not good;
they do not reject evil.
5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgments are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O LORD.
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
10 O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your salvation to the upright of heart!
11 Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the evildoers lie prostrate;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.
Evening Psalm 7
1 O LORD my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me,
2 or like a lion they will tear me apart;
they will drag me away, with no one to rescue.
3 O LORD my God, if I have done this,
if there is wrong in my hands,
4 if I have repaid my ally with harm
or plundered my foe without cause,
5 then let the enemy pursue and overtake me,
trample my life to the ground,
and lay my soul in the dust. Selah
6 Rise up, O LORD, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
awake, O my God; you have appointed a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered around you,
and over it take your seat on high.
8 The LORD judges the peoples;
judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous,
you who test the minds and hearts,
O righteous God.
10 God is my shield,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
and a God who has indignation every day.
12 If one does not repent, God will whet his sword;
he has bent and strung his bow;
13 he has prepared his deadly weapons,
making his arrows fiery shafts.
14 See how they conceive evil,
and are pregnant with mischief,
and bring forth lies.
15 They make a pit, digging it out,
and fall into the hole that they have made.
16 Their mischief returns upon their own heads,
and on their own heads their violence descends.
17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,
and sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.


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amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research
Following his Krim Fellowship, Rogier Sanders was appointed to a tenure-track post and received a prestigious grant.
May 2011— More than three years after amfAR launched the Mathilde Krim Fellowships in Basic Biomedical Research, many of the young scientists who received these prestigious awards are achieving impressive success. In an era when support for early-career scientists is drying up, these researchers are making extraordinary progress on a wide range of projects. They have also been able to leverage their amfAR funding to apply for larger grants to sustain their work, and are establishing careers as independent researchers at prestigious institutions.
Among the first Krim Fellows were Rogier Sanders, Ph.D., and Felipe Diaz- Griffero, Ph.D. Both researchers have since been appointed to tenure-track positions—a path made easier, they say, by their Krim Fellowships—and both subsequently received Phase II Krim funding from amfAR, which supported their research for an additional year.
"It's really difficult to start an independent career as a researcher, and the transition from postdoc to junior faculty is especially challenging," said Dr. Sanders, who is using HIV's own process of evolution to design a potential HIV vaccine. "There were a few times during the past few years when I thought about quitting science and finding a job in the private sector. At a critical moment in my career, the Krim Fellowship helped me move forward." He became an assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam in late 2009, and subsequently received a Vidi grant, the most prestigious career development grant for junior faculty in the Netherlands.
For Dr. Diaz-Griffero, whose studies of a protein that blocks HIV in monkeys may aid in the development of new treatments in humans, the amfAR funding he received while at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute also helped him move to the next stage of his career. "When I got the Krim Fellowship, I was able to gather data that enabled me to apply for NIH funding, which is helping to support my research over the next five years," he explained. It also helped him obtain a junior faculty position at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where his Phase II amfAR funding was "essential in my first year," he said.
Just a year after Thomas Gramberg, Ph.D., received a Krim Fellowship to conduct research on the cell biology of HIV at New York University, he has already moved to the tenure track. Dr. Gramberg said that amfAR support was "very helpful" in obtaining his current job as a junior professor at the Institute for Virology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in his native Germany—a highly prestigious position.
Navid Madani's research into a vaginal microbicide is nowcontinuing with support from the NIH.
For Navid Madani, Ph.D., receiving a Krim Fellowship in 2009 enabled her to use innovative strategies to test potential ingredients for a vaginal microbicide to prevent HIV infection. "We didn't have many preliminary results," she explained, "and I was working outside the box with my hypotheses." amfAR funding gave Dr. Madani an opportunity to gather preliminary data using three new technologies to identify new HIV-blocking compounds.
Dr. Madani is continuing her research at Dana-Farber with funding from the NIH, for which she was able to apply using the results from her amfAR-supported studies. "To be able to make a small contribution to the development of a female-controlled prevention method like microbicides is wonderful for me," she said.
Another 2009 Krim Fellow, Alberto Bosque, Ph.D., called the fellowship "an incredible opportunity." Dr. Bosque, whose study of a test-tube model recreating HIV's hidden reservoirs was published this winter in the journal Methods, was recently offered a position on the University of Utah's faculty as a research associate professor. He and his colleagues are now adapting their test-tube model so that it can be used to screen possible compounds for use in drugs to flush out latent HIV.
As HIV/AIDS researchers move closer to solving some of the key mysteries about how the virus works, how it can be blocked from becoming established in the body, and even how it might be eradicated, the continual infusion of talent and bold new thinking remains crucial. "The successes we've seen so far from Krim Fellows have shown that a relatively small investment in the careers of young scientists can have a tremendous impact, reinvigorating the field with new ideas," said Rowena Johnston, Ph.D., amfAR's vice president and director of research.
Related stories:


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Screencasts about Django
This page lists screencasts created to demonstrate Django.
Now the 1.0 release is out, at least now we should have some official sort of screencasts..
Ruby on Rails had it since the beginning, and it was a essential part of their official website..
Let the people send in proposals, start a screencast competition! (Perhaps someone could sponsor something, like two years of hosting at a provider supporting Django?)
I would suggest to send in three videos to start with.. Introduction to Django, a tutorial, and one for some common but advanced tasks in Django..
And at least it wouldn't be that bad to adopt something from the "Ruby on Rails" guys: http://rubyonrails.org/screencasts
- Django Lessons - Weekly screencasts about django and its ecosystem for intermediate level developers.
- Django Djourney - A series of screencasts following a newbie on his quest to learn Django once and for all!
- Diving into Django, great starter screencast using SQLite to create a simple bug tracking/ticketing system.
- Running django on Ubuntu using postgres SQL server
- Django in Seven Minutes - The first Django screencast! Created by Tom Dyson of throwingbeans.org. Demonstrates creating a trivial content management system from scratch using generic views. Note: this is old and out-dated - will not work with 0.95 or higher
- How to install Django at Webfaction - Screen cast created by Ian Holsman. Demonstrates how to run django in a shared hosting environment. The noise quality is a bit bad.
- Learn Django Series - Learn Django shows how easily and quickly you can get a web application up and running with Django.
- PyCon-Tech The Python behind PyCon Series - Doug Napoleone introduces the technology behind PyCon 2007, this year's main Python conference.
- Screencasts by Eric Holscher - Series of Debugging Django Screencasts.
- "Programming an image hosting application with Django". 1 hour of Django video in 1920x1080. YouTube (beginning of the video), download: torrent, HTTP.
- "Getting Start with Django - Screencast by Kenneth Love" http://gettingstartedwithdjango.com/resources/gigantuan.html
- GoDjango A site dedicated to simple quick how-to's for learning Django
- DjangoLinks Video Tutorials All django links
- Django Basics by Michael Herman - Four part series showing how to setup a basic web app
- Coding for Entrepreneurs - A Udemy Class on Learning Django as a Non-Technical Founder. 7+ Hours Of Screencasts with Django
- Try Django - A basic Django 1.6 Introduction as video screencasts/tutorials. On YouTube.
- Neckbeard Republic - Level up your Python and Django skills with weekly bite-sized screencasts
- Mike Hibbert's Django Screencasts - extensive free basic webcasts and paide Intermediate and Advanced series, including support.
- «Django: быстрый вход на сайт с помощью QR-кодов». Russian, 1 hour 15 minutes, 1080p. Available on YouTube and as an MPEG2 file (better quality).


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Got to see The Daily Show taping tonight (more on that in a minute) and in the pre-show conversation with Jon Stewart, an audience member said he was sent by The Internet to ask about SOPA. Stewart professed (not feigned, I think) ignorance, asking whether that was net neutrality, and excusing himself, what with their "heads being up their asses" in the election and all. But he said he'd do his homework and he looked at writer Steve Bodow when he said that. Let's hope he comes out loud.
Confidential to Mr. Stewart: The problem here is that [cough] your industry, entertainment, is trying to give power the power to blacklist and turn off sites if they're so much as accused of "pirating" (their word, not ours) content. This changes the fundamental architecture of the net, giving *government* the power and means to kill sites for this and then other reasons. That threatens to destroy this, our greatest tool of publicness (book plug). So please, sir we need your force of virtue to beat down this, another evil. On behalf of The Internet, thank you.


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I recently had a gas line installed, and now there is water leaking into my basement about six feet below grade. It is not surprising that the 130-year-old fieldstone foundation is porous, but until now the water has been led away from the house, so the basement has been dry. Here is a picture, showing the path of the gas line in yellow:
My theory is that the water is being led from the grassy area along the path of the gas line, where the dirt is less compact and therefore more permeable than before.
What can I do about it? Would running a drainage pipe to the end of the house help? If so, should start where the gas line ends, or does it need to be under the gas line the entire way?